A practical guide to cleaning services in Richmond

Ask the building directly, as procedures differ. They may require the visitor’s name, company, arrival time, proof of booking or use of a service entrance. Check whether equipment can travel in the passenger lift and whether keys may be released. Send confirmed instructions to the cleaner and tell reception promptly if the team or timing changes.

Tell the provider which pieces must not be touched or moved and keep cleaning products well away from them. Secure unstable frames and remove small valuable objects from the working area yourself. Ordinary cleaners should not clean paintings, sculpture or antique frames as if they were household surfaces. Seek a conservator for treatment beyond careful dust avoidance.

Usually not. Acids may etch calcareous stone, unsuitable polish can alter metal finishes, and excess moisture can affect timber. Identify materials and provide available care instructions before the visit. The cleaner should use suitable separate methods or leave an uncertain surface untouched. Never encourage an improvised product test on a prominent or valuable area.

It is the combined working time across the cleaners, not necessarily the time between arrival and departure. Two cleaners attending for two hours provide roughly four labour hours, subject to breaks and the provider’s terms. Ask how the quote describes this, whether the team size can change, and how tasks are divided if access allows only one room at a time.

Use it as a starting point if the booking relates to a managed rental, but read it carefully and compare it with your agreement and inventory. Send it to the provider before they quote. Highlight ambiguous or specialist items, because the cleaner may exclude them. The agent’s checklist does not guarantee that every mark is removable or every task is offered.

Possibly, with a room order and realistic expectations about noise. Agree a quiet zone and when vacuuming near it is acceptable. Keep essential access routes open and do not ask the cleaner to supervise anyone. If several rooms must remain unavailable for much of the visit, reduce the task list or choose a time when the property can be used more freely.

Prioritise guest-facing rooms, the cloakroom, kitchen surfaces and entrance floors, then leave time for drying and your own preparation. Tell the cleaner when catering or flowers will arrive so routes do not clash. Cooking after the clean will naturally affect the kitchen, so decide whether detailed kitchen work belongs earlier or whether a lighter final wipe is more useful.

Not as an assumed domestic task. Antique finishes may react to modern sprays, water or wax, and previous restoration can be difficult to identify. Ask the cleaner to dust around or lightly dust only as specifically agreed, without moving the piece. For polishing, stain treatment or restoration, use advice from a furniture conservator or another suitably qualified specialist.

Ask for current evidence relevant to the arrangement, such as public liability cover, and read what it covers rather than relying on a logo. Clarify whether staff, subcontractors and key loss are included where applicable. Insurance does not replace careful access procedures, so also agree key labelling, storage, alarm use and the process for reporting an incident promptly.

Balconies are commonly treated as an extra or excluded, especially where drainage, height, weather or building rules affect safe work. Describe the surface, furniture, glazing and water access, and check whether items can be moved. Do not ask a domestic cleaner to lean over rails or wash debris into shared drainage. Exterior façade and high glass need appropriate specialists.

Follow the product or installer’s curing instructions, not a general cleaning timetable. A surface may feel dry while still being vulnerable to water, abrasion, rugs or furniture. Give the written guidance to the provider and exclude the area if the curing period is uncertain. Plan access routes so nobody must cross the new finish to reach another room.

Some can, but confirm whether the same team or a subcontractor performs each task and who holds responsibility for the overall booking. Agree the order, furniture position, power and water needs, plus carpet drying time before check-in. Obtain separate scope lines even when there is one invoice, so an omitted or unsuitable element is easy to identify.